Emma Jones is looking for a job in P.E.I. This is not an easy thing to do during COVID times when competition is high, and employment opportunities are low.
Jones, who is not using her real name, as she is still trying to find employment and doesn’t want to ruin her chances by speaking out, says she is frustrated. Now in her 50s, she was capped at her previous job, while new hires with significantly less experience are making virtually the same, doing less.
Because essential workers tend to be hired through immigration programs or programs for youth where businesses can get a large portion of their wages paid, it means there isn’t as much funding for adults like herself.
“I don't blame immigration or the businesses,” she says. “but these government programs are killing jobs for others.”
Although she was granted Employment Insurance when she left her most recent job due to COVID-19, it took 11 weeks to get her first payment, and she did not qualify for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.
“I wanted to go to school but can't because everything is up in the air in terms of opening, as are workplace training programs,” she says. “I want to work but just cannot find anything.”
According to Mary Fox, executive director of the Community Inclusion Society, a Kentville, N.S., based organization that develops and designs programs to meet the needs of the disability community while also meeting the needs of all job seekers and employers, the unemployment rate in Western Nova Scotia in June 2020 was 12.6 per cent. According to Stats Canada, in 2019, the unemployment rate in this area was below seven per cent.
There is a lot of competition for jobs these days. We have university students looking for summer work, university students who will defer next year to work instead of going to school, and then people looking for work, whether from losing theirs to COVID or just needing a job.
Despite the current downturn in the economy, Fox says there continues to be available work but possibly in a field that job seekers may not have considered when the economy was stronger.
Despite challenges to particular industries – which has resulted in significant job loss, such as hospitality and tourism, restaurants, personal care industries – Fox says some industries have thrived during this period such as IT-related companies, professional cleaning, fast food, garden centres, grocery stores and retail stores who carry grocery items.
Other industries continue to have a high demand for workers, which was the case before COVID-19 and continues. These industries include manufacturing and production, agriculture, construction, health care and fast food industries, explains Fox.
In addition, Ronda Spears, an information and resource specialist with Nova Scotia Works, based in Coldbrook, N.S., says we have seen new positions created by businesses that have adopted operations to meet the demand of the economy in various ways. For example, new jobs are seen in local food production, need for the manufacturing of various PPE, and seeing distilleries shift to include the creation of hand sanitizer for wide distribution in the province.
Time for a change
Katie Power, a life coach with her own business called Soul Alive, based in St. John’s, N.L., says, this might be the time for people to change career paths completely.
“We are all at a crossroads right now,” says Power, “and maybe you have been so busy of the years, to even stop and ask yourself that question: what do I really want to do with my life?”
Power says to examine your interests and passions and see if you can follow that. And, if you’ve already been on a path of passion in your career and life you may still need a change to be able to meander this time. This could mean revamping your business to meet current needs or exploring the idea of further education.
“Change is always going to feel a little uncomfortable, but that is how we grow,” says Power. “The biggest risk of all is not taking the risk in the first place, not going for it. What is for sure is that we only get one life, why not make it one to remember, one that you can wake up happy each day to live and serve within your dream career. “
Before making the transition to a new career, Power says seekers need to have a solid and strategic plan to help them through. This may include holding on to the former job for another year as you study online part time, or maybe starting your business on the side as you slowly decrease your workload in the other job.
It is always wise to seek help in the job searching process, whether it is through a career coach like Power or government agencies.
For example, Fox says services at a Nova Scotia Works centre are free and available to all employers and job seekers (whether currently unemployed or seeking new opportunities). Services that might be offered by various agencies may include help with resume or cover letter writing, interview skills, job training workshops, and help with individual job searches.
If you cannot find the perfect job right now, as there might be limited opportunities in one’s field, Fox says to focus instead on developing transferable skills in an alternate industry.
Every job provides skills that can be applied to other jobs and that can display your abilities for that dream job of the future, says Fox. Teamwork, attention to detail, communication, conflict resolution, accepting feedback are just a few skills that can be gained and applied throughout your career.
If you are still unsuccessful in finding a job, or have barriers to obtaining employment right away, consider reaching out to organizations that may have volunteer opportunities, suggests Spears. Volunteering is one way to keep your resume going during periods of unemployment. It also helps to get your foot in the door with potential upcoming vacancies, she says.
By following these tips or seeking support, employment opportunities may be available, even for those, like Jones, are struggling during these times.
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